Battery cable connector



March 17, 1959 HG.3 .L6

J. E. COLEMAN BATTERY CABLE CONNECTOR Filed May 25, 1956 '20 4o so lo M .16 is HRH? D U U INVENTOR. JAMES E-COLEMAN position- United States PatenrO 2,878,460 BATTERY CABLE CONNECTOR James E; Coleman, 'Pendleton, Oreg. Application May 25, 1956, Serial No. 587,240

r '1 Claim. (Cl. 339-239) m The present invention relates to a battery post or terminal connector, and more particularly has reference to a connector characterized by the ease with which it can be applied to or removed from a battery post, thus to prevent damage to the post and relieve one of the difficulties ordinarily experienced in these circumstances.

As is well known, a battery connector as a, rule is difficult to remove, even after it has been applied to a battery post for only a short period of time. In many instances, the nut whereby the connector is held on the post is stripped or otherwise damaged. In many other instances, the connector corrodes due to acid action of the battery.

which it can be applied to or removed from a battery post, its adaptability for swift adjustment into tight engagement with the post, its adaptability to be securely locked to the post, and its adaptability to be greased I without disconnection from the post, in the same manner and at the .same time that other portions of the vehicleare greased during lubrication of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide a connector which, despite the distinct advantages possessed thereby as compared to connectors previously in use, will still be capable of manufacture at relatively low cost, will insure against damage to the post of the battery, and Will be designed in such a manner as to provide, at all times, a tight, firm connection to the battery post.

Summarized briefly, the device conceived for the purpose of achieving the above stated desirable objects comprises a post-encircling, arcuate clamp member extending through almost the full' circumference of the post, and terminating at its ends in outwardly extending ears having transversely aligned openings. Extending through the o'p'enings is a'bolt one endof which is engaged with 'o'nelofithe' ears a'g'ainst rotation, and threaded upon the other end of the bolt is a sleeve on which is pivoted a locking arm having'acam surface eccentric to the pivot axis of the arm. The cam surface is adapted to bear against a washer at the inner end of the sleeve for the purpose of forcing the ears toward one another when the locking arm is swung to one position'thereof, whereby to tightly engage the clamp element about the washer 30 as shown in Figure 4.

battery post. A compression, coil-spring is interposed.

between the ears about the bolt, to aid in spreading the ears-when the locking arm is swung to a releasing The use of a threaded sleeve carrying the locking arm permits preliminary adjustment of the ears into snug engagement with the post, before the locking arm is thrown to its operative, locking position. In accordance with the invention, the locking arm is connected to the sleeve by a pin which has the additional function of providing an abutment in the sleeve limiting its threadable adjustment in a direction toward the washer. Further,

2,878,460 Patented Mar. 17, 1959 arm has its highest point, that is, its greatest distance from the pivot axis of the arm, at a location such that said highest point will bear against the washer before the locking arm reaches its full locking position. The locking arm will then move past this point into its full locking position, in a manner that causes it to be retained with maximum certainty in its full locking position.

The invention, further, includes vertically spaced, parallel channels extending from end to end of the arcuate clamp element, said channels providing passageways for grease or other lubricant and being in communication through a medium of a connecting channel. Communicating with one of the channels is a grease fitting, designed to receive the tip of a grease gun in the same mannet as grease fittings provided elsewhere upon the vehicle, so that the connector can be lubricated during normal lubrication of the vehicle, thereby to assure, at all times, a proper coating of grease upon the post and connector, for preventing corrosion.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a connector formed according to the present invention, the locking arm being shown in full and dotted lines in its locking and releasing positions respectively;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view on line 3-,-3 of Figure 2; and

' s Figure 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device constituting the present invention includes a recessed, radially extending socket 10, the recess of said socket being designated at 12 and being adapted to receive the cable 14 that is to be connected to the battery post, said cable being fixedly embedded in the recess in the usual manner.

The socket 10 is integral with the midleugth portion of an arcuate, post-engaging clamp element formed of a slightly springa ble material, said clamp element being extended through slightly less than a full 360 degrees, thus to provide arcuate clamping arms 16, 18 adapted to engage tightly against opposite sides of the battery post, not shown. At the ends of the arms remote from the socket, said arms are formed with outwardly projecting,

parallel ears 20, 22 transversely spaced as shown in Figure 3, and in the car 20 there is formed a non-circular recess 24 merging into a bore adapted to receive a bolt 26 the head of which is engaged in the recess 24. The bolt extends across the space between the ears, passing through a smooth-walled opening 28 formed in the car 22 in transverse alignment with the bore of the car 20. The bolt is threaded at the ends thereof remote fromthe head, and loose upon the threaded end of the 'b'oltis a washer 30 hearing against the outer surface of car 22. A sleeve 31 is internally threaded to engage the threads of the bolt, and is adapted to bear at its inner end against Pivotally mounted upon the outer end of the sleeve 31 is a locking arm 32 slightly curved in a longitudinal direc- 'tion so that it will lie closely against the clamping arm 18 a channeled member, so that the cam surface 35 is in actuality provided by rounding off the edges of the opposed side walls of the locking arm.

The cam surface 35 is curved eccentrically to the pivot axis 34 of the locking arm, and therefore, when the looking arm is swung from its dotted to its full line positions of Figure 1, the cam surface will bias the washer 30 axially of the bolt 26, toward the car 22 and willcause the ear 22 to be forced toward the ear 20, thus to shift the clamp arms 16, 18 toward one another into firm engagemeut with the battery post.

On the inner surface of the arcuate clamp element defined by arms 16, 18, there are formed circumferentially extending, inwardly facing lubricant channels 40, said channels extending fully to the outer, ear-provided ends of the clamp arms. The channels are in communication through the medium of a connecting channel 42 (see Figure 2) and opening into the connecting channel is a grease fitting 38 carried by clamp arm 16. The grease fitting 38 is per se old, and is of the type adapted to re ceive the top of a grease gun such as is used in lubricating the various parts of an automotive vehicle.

In use of the device, as a first step in installing the same the clamp arms 16, 18 will be spread apart, to an extent sufficient to permit them to fit easily over the battery posts. Then, with the locking arm in its dotted line position of Figure 1, the locking arm is rotated, that is, turned in a direction to rotate the nut or sleeve 31. The sleeve 31 would be turned in a direction to shift the cars 20, 22 toward each other, against the restraint of the spring 36, until the clamp arms 16, 18 are in snug engagement with the opposite sides of the battery post. Then, it is merely necessary that the locking arm 32 be swung to its full line position in Figure l, and the surface 35 thereof will cammingly engage the washer 30, to shift the ears 20, 22 toward each other to a further degree, thus to securely clamp or lock the device to the battery post. Pin 34, as clearly shown in Figure 4, extends as an abutment limiting threading of sleeve 31 toward washer 35. Thus, it will not be possible, due to the presence of the abutment, to rotate sleeve 31 in the mentioned direction to an extent such as would cause the ears 20, 22 to be moved too closely to one another, in circumstances that might cause breakage of the ears or of the arcuate portion of the clamp arm. The location of the pin can be selected in manufacture of the device, as will be apparent, to prevent said excessive movement of the ears in a direction to close the space therebetween, thus eliminating the possibility of bending of the ears or breakage as stated.

Obviously, said pin location is such that when the pin is backed off a prescribed distance from the adjacent end of the bolt, as for example to the Figure 4 position, arm 32 will still be free to swing between its dotted and full line positions of Figure 1. As will be noted from Figure 1, the highest point of cam surface 35 occurs at the location such that the arm is in an intermediate position, between the two positions thereof shown in Figure 1, when said high point engages the washer. Then, arm 32 may readily be moved fully to its locking position, past the high point of the cam surface. This insures to the maximum extent that the .arm will remain in a full locking position.

When the device is on the battery post, it can be lubricated from time to time, each time the vehicle itself is receiving its regular lubrication, through the medium of the fitting 38 and channels 40, 42.

Wheneverit is desired to remove the clamp, one merely throws the arm 32 to its dotted line position, and the spring 36, tending to expand, shifts the arms 16, 18 away from each other, aiding the inherent resiliency of the arms in this respect. Should the device still not come off the post readily, one may rotate the sleeve 31 in a direction to back the same ofi the bolt, and this will permit additional expansion of the spring ,36.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A battery post terminal connector comprising an armate clamp element adapted for extension about a battery post; means on said clamp element for connecting a battery cable thereto; ears projecting outwardly from opposite ends of the clamp element in transversely spaced relation, said ears having aligned openings, one of said ears having a non-circular recess communicating with the opening thereof; a bolt extending through said openings, said bolt being formed with a head complementing said recess to engage therein, wherebysaid bolt is engaged in said one ear against rotation and being freely slidable in the other ear; a nut threaded upon the bolt adjacent said other car, said nut being in the form of an elongated sleeve projecting beyond the end of the bolt remote from the head of the belt; a washer loose upon h ol and disposed between the nut and said other car; a locking arm pivotally connected to said nut, the nut including a diametrically extending pin at the projecting end thereof, carrying said arm to effect the pivotal connection of the arm to the nut, said pin forming an abutment limiting movement of the nut in the direction of the bolt head, said locking arm having a cam Surface adapted to bear against the washer to shift the same axially of the bolt in one position to which the locking arm is thrown, for shifting the ears toward one another, thus to bind the clamp element about said post, said cam surface being eccentric to the pin with its high point being so located as to engage the washer in a position of the locking arm in which the arm is approaching said one position thereof, the pin being spaced outwardly from the bolt in each of said positions of the locking arm; and a compression, coil spring circumposed about the bolt in engagement at its opposite ends with the respective ears, for normally spreading the ears to free the clamp element from the post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,393,811 Mossholder Oct. 18. 1921 1,680,201 Bihl et a1. Aug. 7, 1928 1,904,954 Schmuhl Apr. 18, 1933 1,961,955 Berryman June 5, 1934 1,995,184 Levi Mar. 19, 1935 2,050,566 Farley Aug. 11, 1936 2,129,333 Mayes Sept. 6, 1938 2,237,097 Elfert Apr. 1, 1941 2,493,389 Casey Jan. 3, 1950 2,622,120 Knasko Dec. 16, 1952 

